Trainer Dean Kannemeyer looks likely to strengthen his claims of a seventh Cape Guineas success, and a first since Russian Rock’s victory in 2020, when he unleashes exciting Gimmethegreenlight colt Green With Envy in the Grade 3 Cape Classic (Race 7) over 1400m on the nine-race card at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Sunday 29 October.
Kannemeyer, who won the prestigious stallion-making Grade 1 in 2005 and 2006 (with Rabiya and Express Way respectively) repeated those back-to-back victories in the sought-after Cape Classic with Le Drakkar (2008) and Noordhoek Flyer in (2009) before Capetown Noir’s 2012 success, had to wait eight years for another Guineas win with enigmatic grey Russian Rock but may not have to wait too long for his next.
Green With Envy is likely to cement his spot in the December Grade 1 showpiece with victory in Sunday’s Cape Classic, which is a traditional stepping-stone – and often a key pointer – to the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas.
He has won both his starts over 1400m (on debut as a two-year-old, beating older rivals) at Hollywoodbets Greyville in June and again on his reappearance last month over the course and distance of Sunday’s feature, and is deserving of another chance despite only finishing fifth in his last start over 1600m.
On that occasion, Craig Zackey’s mount was heavily supported to start as the odds-on favourite but was too far out of his ground and got going late to only finish fifth, 3.30 lengths behind the winner who had enjoyed a soft lead and kicked at the right time.
The return to 1400m and an expected quicker tempo will suit Kannmeyer’s charge with Zackey unlikely to be far off the pace from gate No 1.
Grade 3 Langerman Futurity winning two-year-old My Golly Molly had the form of that win franked by runner-up Hluhluwe winning recently, and this Eric Sands-trained Fire Away colt, along with Brett Crawford’s runner Zil Moris who finished third in that race, are likely to pose the biggest threats to Green With Envy.
In the supporting feature, the Non-Black Type Need For Speed Sprint (Race 6), Justin Snaith and Candice Bass-Robinson dominate the race with five of the 10 runners between them with the winner likely to come from that quintet.
The latter has two chief principals in Future Variety and last-start winner Captain Arrow, although Snaith’s versatile Racing Association Plate winner, Underworld, could be the one to side with back over 1000m.
Bass-Robinson has taken the wraps off of a number of promising three-year-old fillies recently and has another smart prospect on her hand in Distant Winter, who made an encouraging start to her career as a two-year-old last term. That juvenile campaign yielded a Grade 3 Winter Nursery success as well as a Grade 2 fourth before finishing third behind Mrs Geriatrix in the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes.
She makes her reappearance in Race 8 and it should pay to follow the progress of this exciting What A Winter filly under Aldo Domeyer.
Clive Robinson
